[The Currant Family in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant

Ribes bracteosum

Inflorescence of Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum

A close-up of the inflorescence of stink currant as seen from along the Wahclella FallsTrail in the Columbia River Gorge........May 7, 2013.

Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum The photo at right is of stink currant from Latourell Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.
Characteristics:

Stink currant (sometimes called blue currant) is an aromatic (malodorous) shrub with erect growth habit from 1-3 meters in height. The leaves are orbicular, 10-20 cm across with heart-shaped bases, and 5-7 narrow lobes with sharply double-toothed margins. The upper leaf surfaces are glandless and sparsely hairy while the lower surfaces are sticky glandular.

The inflorescence are ascending to erect racemes from 10-23 cm long with many flowers. The flowers are saucer-shaped and range from 1-1.5 mm deep. The 5 sepals are pale green to whitish and spreading. The petals are small and white. The stamens are roughly the same size, or slightly longer than the petals. The style is divided about halfway to its base. The fruits are bluish-black with a white bloom and many yellow glands.


Habitat:

Stink currant is typically found in dense thickets along streams and in moist, shady woods at all elevations.


Range:

Stink currant is found from Alaska to California, It is found wholly west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest.

In the Columbia River Gorge, it is found between the elevations of 100'-4400' from near Crown Pt. in the west eastward to near the Little White Salmon River in the east.


Berries of Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum - Leaves of Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum

Leaves and berries of stink currant as seen in moist drainages around Three Corner Rock, Skamania County, Washington.............August 21, 2012.

Upper leaf surface of Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum

The photo above shows the upper leaf surface of Ribes bracteosum from Latourell Falls in the Columbia River Gorge..............mid-May, 2001.

Flowers of Blue Currant, California Black Currant, Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum

A close-up of the flowers of Ribes bracteosum from Latourell Falls in the Columbia River Gorge..............mid-May, 2001.

Paul Slichter